Kindness Does Not Pay
by Gondegoogoo
Summary: Events unfold as Minerva lets her nephew stay for the night.
1. Chapter 1

Minerva McGonagall woke up as soon as the golden rays of sun shined on her face. Going about her usual morning routine, she hobbled downstairs to the kitchen to prepare a cup of tea. After tasting it for flavour, she nodded to herself in satisfaction. Just as her trembling right hand held the cup to her thin lips, a knock on the front door was heard. Thinking that the post man had arrived, she sighed and put down the cup, and took hold of her cane. Making her way slowly to the front door, she muttered to herself about how postmen never let old ladies like herself enjoy a cup of tea. When she opened the door however, she was in for a surprise.

The man standing in front of her had a familliar face that she could not put a name to. His appearance intrigued her though. He donned flash rainment that seemed to blind her eyers. His onyx eyes however, seemed to sparkle a little.

"Aunt, do you not remember me? It is me, Severus, your nephew!" His smooth baritone voice washed over her as recognition dawned before her eyes.

She relaxed her rigid posture somewhat and leaned foward to give him an awkward hug, before inviting him in.

"What brings you here, after all these years?" she asked.

Kieran sat on the tattered sofa and grinned sheepishly. "Well, I happened to pass through this town to go to the town further down, Oxford. But yesterday, a pickpocket had nicked my wallet, leaving me with no money to rent a room for the night anywhere. Then I remembered that my beloved Aunt Min-Min resided in the vicinity, so..." he shrugged.

"So you thought to see if I would let you stay here?" A raised eyebrow directed towards him made him smile.

"If you want to stay here, then quit calling me by that awful sobriequet. Laundry will be done by yourself. Lunch is strictly at three o'clock, while dinner is at six. Anything else?" she asked. It was just like her nephew to play on her emotions to let him stay.

He hugged her in gratitude. "Thank you Aunt Minerva. "I'm only staying for the night, so I won't impose on you much," he said sincerely.

The day soon passed with endless chatter between them as the sought to catch up on lost time with each other. Minerva smiled at the fine young man before her, who was but a smart and skinny boy ten years ago. How time had passed in the blink of an eye...

****

A/N: Hi guys. This was written as an essay during class. I need to improve it, so I would really like if you guys could review and tell me what's good and what's bad... please? Many thanks to you guys.


	2. Chapter 2

Soon, night had approached and both of them went to their rooms to rest. However, no matter how Minerva tossed and turned, her eyes would not shut peacefully. Her intuition told her that something was wrong. After an hour of restless movement on crumpled white sheets, she sat up.

**A/N: Getting more and more suspicious, don't you think?**


	3. Chapter 3

The house was chilly at this time of the night. Shivers went down her spine as a gentle breeze caressed her from beyond the window. Making her way downstairs, she noticed that there were lights shinging from within the kitchen. As she entered the kitchen, she saw Severus facing the countertop with his simple azure dressing gown billowing around him.

She wondered what he was doing and sought to make her way towards him silently.

Severus broke the silence between them.

"Tea, Aunt Minnie?"

Minerva froze. How did he know of her presence? Something was going on around here. Was he playing a game with her? Well, two can play the game.

"Yes, please bring it to the sitting room," she replied confidently, hiding all her suspicions behind an air of indifference. She then left the kitchen, not noticing the smirk that Severus had plastered on his face.

Shortly, they sat down each on an armchair, relishing in the physical warmth that the fireplace was providing them with. Minerva drank her tea in a few gulps, as aid to give her courage to star the inquisition.

"What kept you awake, Severus?" she casually asked.

"The opposite of the reason why you could not rest peacefully," he replied smoothly.

He kept his face down towards his cup of tea. Just as she was about to probe further, a wave of dizziness hit her, causing her to grip tightly on the armrests of the chair.

"I see it's working," Severus commenteld cryptically. One would have thought he had done this often.

"You...you poisoned me? But how? I would have detected it..." she gasped before a wave of pain hit her. The pain was so intense that she fell fowards and lay sprawled on the floor, twitching from the pain.

"Ah yes, the renowned poison expert, Minerva Walker is said to be able to detect any kinds of poison. Sadly dear Aunt, surely you know there is one type you will never detect," he sneered, now taking out a small vial half filled with colourless liquid.

Of course. The Mei Amor. Translated from Latin as "My Beloved", it was created for people who wanted to poison their family. After all, who would ever think that someone close to you would poison you? The liquid was not just colourless, but also odourless and tasteless.

"I treated you se well...gave you a place to stay...yet you poisoned me. Why?" she whispered, pain clearly overwhelming her now. She stared at him.

"Why my beloved Aunt, surely you know that kindness never pays," he snarled, with an evil glint glittering in his eyes.

That was the last thing she saw before darkness closed in on her.

**A/N: There you have it. A murder committed. So what do you guys think? Tell me what's good, what's bad, I want to know. Hope to improve it if possible. Thanks!**


End file.
